Clothes-washing machine



No. 608,257. Patnted Aug. 2, I898.

' O. HAMMARSTRU M. CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 15, 1897.)

(No m m.)

THE "cams PETERS co. PHO'TO-LITHQ. wumnaron u L UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLAF HAMMARSTROM, or WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

C LOTHE S-WASHIN'CI'MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,257, dated August ,2, 1898.

' Application filed llovember it, i897. jean r0. 65 s,51s. mac-1.1,)

To on whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, OLAF HAMMARS'IROM, of the city and county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in-Clothes-Washing Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact de; scription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a plan of my improved clothes-washing machine and part of an ordinary portable washtub to which it is applied. Fig. 2 is a front side View of the machine; and Fig. 3 is an end View thereof, looking in the direction of arrow as in Fig. 2, with part of the crank-handle broken away.

Theobject of my invention is to providea washing-machine whose mechanism shall; be

as simple in construction'and [operation asbetween its ends, and a cam, mounted on a at the same timebeing turned by friction,'

with the cloth carried through between said rolls by the rotation of the bottom roll in the operation of washing, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that others may better understand my inventioml will now proceed to describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, A represents the frame of the machine, which is provided with suitable bearings, in which the shafts O O of the top and bottom rolls B B may turn; The bearings for the top-roll shaft are made so that said shaft and the roll-may. move vertically,

the top roll resting on the bottom one, and a downward-yielding pressure being imparted to the top roll to produce the requisite pressure on the clothes passing through between the E rollsin washingbya spring .D, interposed between the roll-shaft and the cross-bar A of i frame A. In this instance a flat spring is iemployed for said purpose fastened at the center to the under side of said cross-bar A, 1 and whose ends D D are turned down to bear upon the shaft, as is shown in Fig. 2. Upon 1 one end of the shaft 0 of the bottom roll is i mounted and secured at a short distance from frame A a cam E, having a transverse irregular-shaped peripheral groove E, forming two inner cam-surfaces E E for. the purpose hereinafter explained. Outside of said cam on shaft 0 is fastenedin this instance a crank-arm F, provided with a handle F, whereby it may be turned to operate the machine. In lieu thereof said shaft may in practice be connected with mechanical driving power, if desired, instead of operating the same by hand.

To the frame A is secured a downwardlyprojecting clamping-arm A which is adapted to befitted over the top edge of the washtub and clamped thereto by means of a suitable thumb-screw and loose platel(see Fig. 2)

adapted to bearagainst the outside of said tub when the machine is fitted over the latter, as is shown in Fig. 1. To the lower end of said clamping-arm A is pivoted the lower end of a long arm or lever G, made of curved or irregular shape and provided with a forked upper end G, adapted to'engage with a pcripheral groove a, formed in the end of the toproll shaft 0, or otherwise connected in such a manner that when said lever G is moved toward or from the rolls the top roll and its shaft will be carried with it.

Upon the inner side of lever G, next to and in horizontal alinement with the center of the groove in cam E, is mounted a frictionroll I), adapted to lit and travel in said groove when said cam is turned. Said groove is made so as to move said friction-roll, and in consequence the lever G, toward and from the main rolls B B with short reciprocating movements, therefore likewise moving the top roll B and its shaft through the aforesaid connection with longitudinal reciprocating movements to rub the cloth laterally as it passes through between the top and bottom rolls, both of the rolls being preferably provided with corrugated surfaces to facilitate cleansing the clothes in the rubbing and washing process.

The essential feature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the laterally-reeiprocating lever G in relation to the cam E, its pivotal and top-roll shaft connections, and the means for clamping the machine to the washtub. I am aware that it is not new to employ mechanism for imparting longitudinal reciprocating movements to the top roll at the same time that the bottom roll is rotated; but I am not aware that the construction and arrangement of mechanism herein set forth and shown has heretofore been employed. As will be observed, said mechanism is very simple in construction, is easily manipulated, and it has been fully demonstrated that the best results are obtained in its practical application to use.

The machine shown in the drawings is designed to be applied to an ordinary round portable washtub; but, if desired, it may of course be adapt-ed in making the same to be attached to ordinary square set tubs as well.

The arm A, to which the lever G is pivoted, is in this instance shown as being adj ustably secured to frame A, so that the lever may be adjusted to cam E and the top-roll shaft as required to properly operate. I do not, however, limit myself thereto or to the exact shape of said lever and cam E.

Having now described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a machine for washing clothes the 001m bination of frame A, top-roll shaft 0, its roll 13, bottom-roll shaft C, its roll B and cam E mounted on said bottom-roll shaft, with the downwardly-projecting clamping-arm A on frame A whereby the machine may be clamped to the edge of the washtub, swinging lever G pivoted at its lower end to arm A adapted to engage at its upper end with the end of the top-roll shaft and having a laterally-projecting boss or friction-roll between said points adapted to engage with the cam on the bottom-roll shaft, and means for turning said bottom-roll shaft substantially as set forth.

OLAF IIAMRIARS'IROM.

IVitnesses:

W. 1 NOURSE, A. A. BARKER. 

